Natalie Johnson Lee (right) speaks at the Ward Five candidates' debate in Minneapolis. Photo: Paul Demko

Minneapolis City Council debates are generally polite, drowsy affairs. But Ward Five has a reputation for boisterous, even unruly, political discourse.

That might explain why more than 100 people showed up at the Capri Theater on Tuesday night to watch the five city council candidates debate the issues. Among those in the audience: state Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, Ward Four city council candidate Marcus Harcus and mayoral challenger Al Flowers.

Despite Ward Five’s reputation for fiery political rhetoric, the debate was generally civil and issues oriented. The focus was primarily on bread-and-butter concerns: crime, economic development, education and taxes.

“Change” was a theme frequently invoked by the four challengers. “We need a change in leadership,” said Kenya McKnight, a first-time candidate who is running as a Democrat. “You can’t get change if you keep re-electing the same people to the same offices.”

But incumbent Don Samuels, who is the DFL-endorsed candidate, insisted that the North Minneapolis ward has been well served by his leadership, citing a dramatic reduction in homicides in the area as evidence. “In the worst of times, with the economy being as bad as it has ever been since the Great Depression,” he said, “it is hard to believe that North Minneapolis continues to see growth and development and reduction in crime.”

Lennie Chism, who is also running as a Democrat, was easily the most aggressive in challenging Samuels. He repeatedly assailed the incumbent for his purported shortcomings. In response to a question about the achievement gap for minority students in Minneapolis’ public schools, for instance, Chism invoked the incumbent’s controversial remark in 2007 about wanting to “burn down” North High School.

“I’m of the belief that if I said I wanted to burn down Eden Prairie or Wayzata or any of those places, I would have to go,” Chism said. “Our community is being told that we should not even have a building.”

He then resorted to a naked appeal to North Side pride. “We won a couple championships with North High,” he said. “It is the pride of our community.”

Samuels acknowledged regret for the statement. “I think I’ve apologized over and over for that statement,” he said. But he went on to argue that his rhetorical gaffe is being used as an excuse to not seriously address the achievement gap.

“I am passionate about the young people in our community,” Samuels said. “If they’re not learning, we as adults are failing them. And we must stop the nonsense now!”

Police misconduct was a topic that came up often. McKnight suggested that the city’s budget woes wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t repeatedly paying out money to settle civil-rights lawsuits. “The residents of North Minneapolis feel like there’s a shakedown,” she said.

McKnight also came up with a novel answer to the question of whether police chief Tim Dolan should be retained. She called for the return of the prior chief, William McManus. Of course, McManus left his post in Minneapolis three years ago to helm the police department in San Antonio and isn’t likely looking to get his old job back.

It’s often been suggested in recent years that the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department be eliminated and that the state take over responsibility for investigating discrimination claims. But that cost-saving proposal didn’t find much support from the Ward Five candidates.

“Once you get to the Capitol you’re lost,” said Natalie Johnson Lee, another Democratic challenger. “We need to make sure that it remains right here in the city so that our neighborhoods can access it.”

Johnson Lee previously held the city council post, but lost to Samuels four years ago. She argued that the area’s residents were better served when she was at City Hall.

“After watching and seeing and observing, I had no choice but to put my hat in the ring to go back,” she said. “We need good representation for the city of Minneapolis. We need people who are compassionate for the people.”

Roberst Smithrud, who is running with support from the Republican and Independence parties, struggled to communicate his message. In response to a question about rising property taxes and declining property values, he spun himself into rhetorical collapse.

“Sorry, I’m not as prepared for this question as I thought I was,” he acknowledged. “I’m thinking that the best thing is to try and cut our expenses as best we can so that we have less need for the money.”

Even well-worn political clichés failed to rescue Smithrud. “It takes a town to raise a child,” he said in response to a question about education. “Or it takes a city to raise a child. It takes a group of people. I can’t remember the old phrase.”

The audience responded with sympathetic applause.

Chism came up with the shortest answer of the night. When asked about his plans for bringing environmentally friendly policies to City Hall, he had this to say: “There isn’t but one type of green I want to bring to North Minneapolis.”

The final question of the night dealt with Minneapolis’ new instant-runoff voting system. The candidates were asked who they would recommend as their second choice. Despite the relatively civil tenor of the debate, all but one of them declined to endorse any of their rivals. Johnson Lee was the only candidate to offer support for a fellow challenger. Her second choice: McKnight.

Clockwise from top left: incumbent Don Samuels, Kenya McKnight, Lennie Chism and Natalie Johnson Lee

On Friday, a backhoe pulled up to the corner of Plymouth and Sheridan avenues and began ripping apart the building that was once home to Uncle Bill’s Food Market. The corner shop had sold milk and bread to North Minneapolis residents for more than two decades. But neighbors complained that it also served as a safe haven for drug dealers and was a blight on the community. In 2007 it was shut down after the building was condemned.

To those supporting the demolition of Uncle Bill’s it was a sign of significant progress in the fight against crime and economic blight on the North Side.

“It’s part of our strategy to keep the community sane and safe and blight free,” says city council member Don Samuels, who is completing his first full term on the council. “We analyze empty buildings to see what condition they’re in. If we think they’re not worth keeping, if they’re a blight to the community, then we inform the owners that they need to bring it back up or take it down. If they don’t tear it down and they don’t have a rehab plan, we take it down.”

But to Lennie Chism and other opponents of the building’s demolition, it was a symbol of the city’s lack of support for entrepreneurs operating in the troubled area.

“They’re saying it’s a nuisance property and it is structurally unsound,” notes Chism, who purchased the property for $3,000 after it was condemned by the city in hopes of reopening it as a health-food store. “My question back to them is, is there anything that can’t be cured? To me it’s just a building. It can be cured. But you cannot cure political will if the political will is to tear it down.”

Kenya McKnight, who works with the Northside Economic Development Network to help create business opportunities in the area, agrees that the strategy of demolishing troubled properties is flawed. “It’s kind of like blowing up your house because you have mice,” she says. “It just doesn’t work.”

Chism and McKnight, both Democrats, are two of the four challengers seeking to replace Samuels on the city council. Former city council member Natalie Johnson Lee is looking to return to the council after losing to Samuels four years ago by a 55-44 percent margin in a bitter political contest. Also on the ballot is Roger Smithrud, who has the backing of the Independence Party and previously ran for the state House.

*Johnson Lee blames her loss four years ago on low voter turnout and hopes to turn the tables this year. After winning election in 2001 with the backing of the Green Party, she’s now running as a Democrat. Johnson Lee argues that Samuels has failed to follow through on campaign promises, including a pledge to respond to every constituent call within 24 hours.

“I was really concerned about what I was hearing about the lack of representation of people in the fifth ward,” Johnson Lee says. “That’s residents as well as businesses.”

Crime and economic development are the signature issues in Ward Five, which includes the neighborhoods of Jordan, Harrison and Willard-Hay. It is among the poorest and most diverse wards in the city. In Harrison, for instance, median household income was less than $24,000, according to the 2000 census, and more than two thirds of the population was non-white.

Samuels, who is the DFL-endorsed candidate, touts progress on both crime and economic development as proof that he’s been an effective voice for his constituents at City Hall. Most significantly, crime is down more than 40 percent over the last four years in the 4th Precinct, which covers the North Side, while homicides have plummeted by 65 percent. Samuels points out that he meets weekly with the mayor and the police chief to make sure effective strategies are being utilized in the area. He further notes that every time there’s a murder on the North Side he collects victim-impact statements from those affected by the killing and distributes them to his council colleagues, the mayor and even the governor.

“So that when we asked for resources here there was no pushback,” he says. “It was incredible. For the first time in known history, all of the council was focused on North Minneapolis to mitigate the terror that our young people and families were experiencing.”

But Samuels’ challengers note a dark side to the more vigilant police presence on the North Side. A spate of high-profile incidents, most notably the videotaped beating of Near North resident Derryl Jenkins, have inflamed concerns about police brutality.

“I have not seen him to be a champion against police brutality,”‘ says McKnight. “We need city council members who work with us and let us know that they do understand.”

Samuels argues that this criticism is unfounded and that progress cannot be made on the issue simply by attacking the cops.

“I think people should be outraged and express their concerns,” he says. “That’s part of the solution. I want to assure the community that I am very concerned and upset about the images I have seen.”

Economic development, particularly along the key corridors of West Broadway and Plymouth avenues, is the other touchstone issue in Ward Five. Samuels touts the opening of Cub Foods and an 800-job Coloplast factory as signs of economic progress. He also points to projects in the pipeline — such as the $70 million Broadway Plaza Project, which includes a new YWCA — as indicators of future development.

But Samuels acknowledges that there is still significant work to be done, noting, for instance, the lack of sit-down restaurants as a significant shortcoming. He points out that a recent study found that North Side residents spend $70 million annually at restaurants outside the area.

“The restaurants there tend to be perfectly vertical,” he says of the North Side. “You stand to order it, you stand to receive it, and you walk away with it.”

His opponents believe that Samuels is part of the problem. Chism argues that his support for demolishing abandoned properties is symbolic of the lack of support for small businesses on the North Side.

“In order for that community to change you’ve got to have a better storyteller bringing the bacon home,” he says. “The same issues that existed when Don Samuels took office are the same issues that exist currently.”

Ward Five has a history of poisonous politics. The contest four years ago got particularly acrimonious, with Samuels being parodied as an Uncle Tom. And there have been some signs that the race will not be without fireworks this year.

McKnight characterizes Samuels as aloof and cut off from the concerns of most residents. In particular, she cites his inflammatory remarks from early 2007 when, in a moment of rhetorical flourish, he suggested North High School should be burned down.

“It comes down to this idea that he gives off that he’s made it and the rest of us haven’t, and if we want to be successful we have to be like him,” she says. “That’s been divisive and it hasn’t been productive.”

Smithrud believes that Samuels and his council colleagues don’t listen to residents when they seek to make their opinions about municipal governance known. “It’s like the city council has already made up their mind and is not willing to listen to their proposals,” says Smithrud, who works in the mail room at the Star Tribune.

Chism has produced a mailing caricaturing Samuels as a puppet of former Ward Five council member Jackie Cherryhomes, who lost her re-election bid eight years ago.

“They voted her out once,” says Chism. “Now we have to vote her out again. I’m one of the few people who will come out aggressively and say that.”

Samuels dismisses the attack as nonsensical.

“I cannot figure that out for the life of me,” he says. “I don’t know where he gets that from.”

Despite some heated rhetoric, the incumbent believes that the specter of instant-runoff voting, in which candidates will rank their favored candidates, has had a cleansing affect on the race so far.

“I think it’s much less stressful this year,” he says. “There’s a lot less personal attacking going on.”

But Johnson Lee is worried about how the introduction of instant-runoff voting will play out. While campaigning in the ward, she’s seen little evidence that people are aware of the new system.

“People don’t have a clue,” she says. “For every 20 doors I knock I find one person who’s familiar with it.”

(*Johnson Lee was out of town attending a family funeral when the Minnesota Independent initially tried to reach her for this story. Her comments have been added to the original story.)

This is the eighth in a 13-part series on Minneapolis City Council races.

The full series:

Ward One: Five seek open seat in northeast Minneapolis
Ward Two: Gordon, Aigbogun and … no DFLer
Ward Three: Hofstede tries to hold off four challengers
Ward Four: Trio of challengers take on political dynasty
Ward Five: Crime and economic development dominate North Side race
Ward Six: South Minneapolis contest draws crowded field of contenders
Ward Seven: Despite full campaign coffers, lawsuit clouds Goodman’s prospects
Ward Eight: Glidden faces four rivals in south Minneapolis
Ward Nine: Schiff, Bicking vie again
Ward Ten: Four candidates vie for Uptown council seat
Ward Eleven: Three vie for Benson’s South Minneapolis seat
Ward Twelve: Colvin Roy faces three challengers
Ward Thirteen: The independent ward could see fireworks in November

Four years ago, the same candidate-training program did the trick for three other council hopefuls who went on to win election later that year. The best-known graduates of Camp Wellstone’s January 2005 session are U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, now in his second term representing Minnesota’s First District, and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who has gained a national profile during the recent U.S. Senate election recount.

But it’s the local victories by three members the Camp Wellstone Class of 2005 — Minneapolis City Council members Ralph Remington, Diane Hofstede and Elizabeth Glidden — that offer the most direct inspiration to council aspirants from this year’s camp: Charley Underwood, Doron Clark and Kenya McKnight.

All three find themselves in crowded fields: Underwood in Ward 12, the last to send a Republican to the council; Clark in Ward 1, where the retirement of DFL incumbent Paul Ostrow is creating one of three open council seats this year; and McKnight in Ward 5, where a number of others are also said to be mulling efforts to oust DFL incumbent Don Samuels.

Two others attended the recent candidate camp with the Minneapolis City Council in mind. Charles Carlson just announced that he has dropped out of contention for the DFL endorsement in Ward 2 for the seat now held by the council’s lone Green Party member, Cam Gordon. And Peter Eichten said last month he was still considering whether to enter the Ward 9 race as the second Green Party challenger (after Dave Bicking) to Gary Schiff, the DFL incumbent.

Carlson had been looking to get farther than Bill Svrluga, a 2005 Camp Wellstone grad who vied for but didn’t win the DFL endorsement in Ward 2 that year. Svrluga’s fellow camper Kevin McDonald took his race all the way to the November 2005 general election, when he drew nearly 40 percent of the votes in the city’s 12th ward, losing to DFL incumbent Sandy Colvin Roy.

This year Colvin Roy faces another newly minted Camp Wellstone grad in Underwood, who tells the Minnesota Independent he’s now been through all three tracks the camp has to offer. He completed the campaign-staffer track while working on Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer‘s 2006 bid for Congress, and later the track for citizen activists.

That’s the role Underwood says comes most naturally. This is his first time running as a candidate himself since he lost the race for Macalester College student body president in 1968 to Tim O’Brien, now a well-known author.

But three days of role-playing over the last weekend in January primed Underwood for tasks like phoning for campaign donations. That chore got easier for Underwood with this Camp Wellstone advice: “Ask for a certain amount of money, then pick up your coffee cup. Let the silence be there. Don’t bargain them down.”

McKnight concurs: “I enjoyed the hands-on learning, which helped me become much more comfortable with my approach talking with people, my 90-second speech. … It was a great start for me.”

For weeks leading up to the March 3 precinct caucuses, candidates spend evening after evening dialing not only for dollars but also for the support of prospective delegates. Once elected on Caucus Night, DFL Party delegates will choose candidates at ward conventions held later this month, with contenders for citywide offices (including mayor and at-large park commissioners) selected at the city convention in the spring.

The Green and Republican parties conduct parallel processes, though they’re conducted in a much more compact manner than those of the DFL.

Camp Wellstone is part of the St. Paul-based organization Wellstone Action (named for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and his wife, Sheila), which offers eight training programs in all. Communications Director Elana Wolowitz says the camps are held throughout the year and across the country, often at the request of local groups. Since 2006, more than 300 Camp Wellstone alums have won elective office.

Wolowitz says most participants are progressive-minded, and the organization describes itself as progressive — but also nonpartisan and non-ideological, with at least one Independence Party candidate on its graduation rolls.

Might wound-licking Republicans now flock to Camp Wellstone for tips? Wolowitz is dubious, since conservatives have their own institutes — on which Camp Wellstone is modeled in part.

Graduates are more likely to run into each other in places like Minneapolis where the two-party system means DFLers and Greens. Underwood, a DFLer who counts many Greens among his circle of friends and fellow activists, says it’s only by chance that no city council race this year pits two Camp Wellstone grads against each other.